Riding the waves of the FXD line arrives the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Zulu Time watch, the latest to extend the collection of Tudor Pelagos watches with a “FiXeD” lug structure, launched in 2021 in collaboration with the Marine Nationale. This latest version marks the extension of the collaboration between the Swiss watchmaker and the French army, specifically the French Naval Aviation, by packing a GMT display to “allow aviators and flight support personnel to keep track of ‘Zulu Time.'”
As befits the Pelagos, or any Tudor dive watch, for that matter, this Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Zulu Time also comes brimming with spec-sheet-battle-winning features. An excellent manufacture movement, solid build quality, good legibility, lasting design, and competitive price are what have made the Black Bay not simply popular, but also a sort of benchmark in the sub-$5,000 segment over the last number of years. A shortfall to some when it came to the Black Bay was the collection’s rather tame design, one that could potentially become a bit safe and boring not that long into regular wear.
The Pelagos, in virtually all its iterations, has proven a more exciting, albeit less subdued alternative from the brand, and the FXD is the “full send” version with its odd-looking, “military-specification” fixed lugs and consequently special (and exceedingly limited) strap options. Where the Pelagos FXD GMT shines is in its rather smart balancing of military codes — see the strap, the fully brushed, mud-colored titanium case, and high-contrast readouts — with a cleanish dial.
Why is the new Tudor Pelagos FXD watch called “Zulu Time”? The word “Zulu” is the standardized phonetic alphabet code word used in aviation for “Z” or the first letter of the word “zero.” Its standardized use in global aviation prevents confusion in communications between nations and time zones. Us mere mortals, rarely landing an NH90 Caïman on Mistral-class ships, we might just as well see it as a GMT-equipped Pelagos FXD with an arguably cool collaboration attached to it.
The way the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Zulu Time watch (reference 2542G247NU) is this: You set the orange triangle-tipped “Zulu Time” hand once and, well, you don’t touch it again. Wherever you go, Zulu Time remains unchanged. What you do adjust is the “snowflake” hour hand, i.e. the regular hour hand, which you can do in one-hour increments. The neat thing here is that you do this without stopping the movement — the seconds hand keeps on ticking, and so the rest of the hands keep on turning. This way you do not mess up the accurate time reading of your watch — which you certainly have synchronized to a reference time before flying out on a night mission.
Apropos of night missions, the the FXD GMT Zulu Time is lumed like there is no tomorrow. The main displays, meaning the local time’s hour, minute, and seconds hands, as well as the large rectangular and triangular markers on the dial glow in blue thanks to “grade A Swiss Super-LumiNova” — likely a variation of BGW9. By the way, “grade A” appears to have been upped in brightness by the latest X1 grade, but that new juice is not yet available in all colors. The rest of the indications, i.e. the triangular tip of the GMT hand and the numerals and notches of the bezel glow in green — green that looks rather dull even on Tudor’s official images for some reason. We will reserve judgment until we can assess hands-on. Another odd detail is that the 3 o’clock hour marker is still missing — a lumed date disc would have been a very nice touch, or at least a narrow, lumed marker to complete the utility and legibility of this military-inspired timepiece.
The Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Zulu Time watch measures 42mm wide, 12.7mm thick, and 52mm lug-to-lug — kudos to Tudor for including these measurements at the time of the release. The grade 2 titanium case is rated water-resistant to 200m (660m). The front is covered by a sapphire crystal, of course, while the caseback is in grade 5 titanium. The back bears the logo of the Aéronautique Navale (French Naval Aviation) composed of a winged anchor topped with a star, as well as a historically inspired engraving of “M.N.24” for “Marine Nationale 2024” indicating the year of production of each batch of the watch.
Tudor shares that historically the French Navy had Tudor watches delivered without bracelets and then fitted them with their own straps, handmade or otherwise. “Two strap types appear to have been particularly used over the years: black straps made from a single piece of braided nylon, and, less commonly, handmade straps made from parachute elastic, which could be recognized by their green color and yellow or red central thread.” It is to these French Navy relics that the fabric strap of the Pelagos FXD GMT pays tribute: the color of the strap matches the specific color of the flight suit worn by aviators of the French Naval Aviation, and it is embroidered with the French Naval Aviation’s roundel, composed of the French flag’s blue, white and red colors, circled in gold and topped with a black anchor. You can expect decent hardware, too, crafted from grade 2 titanium.
Sandwiched between sapphire and titanium is the Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5652-U. Tudor claims that the GMT function was added not with a module but rather through the “adaptable movement architecture capable of integrating new functions.” Still, the MT5652-U is not a compact movement by any stretch of the imagination: it is rather beefy at 31.8mm wide and 7.5mm thick. The jump-set hours, GMT function, instantaneous date change, hacking seconds, 4Hz frequency, and “weekend-proof” 65-hour power reserve take the edge off its considerable thickness. The balance spring is non-magnetic silicon and it moves in tandem with a variable inertia balance with micro-adjustment screws. Many, many modern movements from luxury watchmakers offered well into the five figures lack most all of these even today — which is a shame, really.
The Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Zulu Time watch is both a COSC-certified chronometer (testing the movement only to a -4/+6 second tolerance window) and a METAS-certified Master Chronometer (testing the entire watch to a 0/+5 second window). As a Master Chronometer, it is also impervious to magnetic fields below 15,000 gauss. The METAS-certified Master Chronometer certification also tests other functions and features, such as water resistance, power reserve, magnetic resistance, and timekeeping precision in various positions over different temperatures, before and after magnetization.
Overall, the Pelagos FXD GMT is a strong package inside and out — although it will keep many longing still for a more compact version. The Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Zulu Time watch is priced at €4,690 EUR, $4,625 USD, or 4,350 CHF. You can learn more at the brand’s website.
